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The women’s basketball team plans to start their season this week with their first game at Central Oklahoma in Edmond on Saturday, Nov. 21 at 1:30 p.m. Following that game, the Gorillas will travel to Wichita to take on Newman University on Tuesday, Nov. 24 at 5:30 p.m.
“With COVID we are honestly just wanting an opportunity to compete,” said head coach Amanda Davied. “So, hopefully we can get in a season of 11 or more games that could potentially qualify us for a national tournament… We missed qualifying for that last season, but I think this group has that in their sights.”
Davied has high hopes for the season.
“We want to compete in the top 4 spots in our league just like every year,” Davied said. “It’s hard to get to that level, and it’s a challenge every year to stay there. I know that is something the kids want every year, and that’s why they chose PSU women’s basketball was to be a top league contender. Last year was a tough year for us as far as over-all team health, but we hope to bounce right back on the scene.”
According to Davied, the team this year has a lot of energy and drive which she thinks will show on the basketball court.
“I think we have a great group of competitors,” Davied said. “They play hard and really have a great leadership/followership chemistry. We’ve been having a lot of fun so far, and I expect that when we play games, they will have a high level of intensity and put their best game out for the fans every game. We are not perfect with the limited practice time, but I know they play hard, they get in the gym and shoot extra, and they truly enjoy the time we spend as a team in the gym. That’s a great combination.”
Davied is looking forward to spending some time with the team as that time has been cut short in the off season due to limited practices because of the ongoing pandemic.
“I’m really looking forward to the time we get to spend together as a team and a staff (like) the road trips, the film, the scouts,” Davied said. “As a staff we are just excited to get in the trenches with this team and really work in a combined effort to put the best product out there for our fans and alums.”
Also because of the pandemic, many sports faced challenges and changes but Davied thinks the team has learned some valuable lessons because of it.
“We have had our fair share of quarantine time, and though it was frustrating at times, we have learned patience, appreciation, and resilience throughout the process,” Davied said. “A lot of lessons learned, and throughout all of it, we have learned to be grateful for the moments we’ve had together with basketball. 2020 has been a trying year, but we have realized that we have a fun group of people and a supportive group of people. I think most of our kids feel like the sense of normalcy of being able to be with our teammates has been comforting and gives them something to look forward to everyday. It’s honestly been very refreshing to look forward to getting with this group every day.”
